The present invention relates to determine the shape of surfaces of soft tissue, and more specifically, to determining such shapes using optical technology.
Hearing aids, hearing protection, and custom head phones often require silicone impressions to be made of a patient's ear canal. Audiologists pour the silicone material into an ear, wait for it to harden then manufacturers use the resulting silicone impression to create a custom fitting in-ear device. The process is slow, expensive, inconsistent, and unpleasant for the patient, and can even be dangerous.
Also, there are a range of other medical needs that benefit from determining the shape of body surfaces, including surfaces defining body orifices, such as the size of shape of an ear canal, throat, mouth, or nostrils of a patient. For example, surgery may be guided by knowing such shapes or medical devices fashioned to have a custom fit for such shapes.
There is a need, therefore, for improvements in the determination of body surface shapes, including the shapes and sizes of surfaces associated with body orifices.